Does a Conservatory Affect the Energy Performance (EPC) rating of my House? By epc4less

Does a Conservatory Affect the Energy Performance (EPC) rating of my House? By epc4less

The answer to this question is provided by epc4less who provide Energy Performance Certificates in Belfast since 2008. As Domestic Energy Assessors, epc4less, have surveyed over 12,000 as of the date of this post.

Epc4less, home energy assessors in Belfast, have been getting enquiries regarding the impact of a conservatory on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. With EPC ratings becoming more important for rental properties with the introduction of MEES legislation, it is a good time to take a look at how important a conservatory is to an EPC and what you can do to increase efficiency.

How Separated Conservatories Affect Your EPC Rating

The first thing to note is that if you have a separated conservatory, then it will have no real impact on the EPC rating, whether it is heated, unheated, double glazed or single. If the wall separating the conservatory to the main building has a quality new door (which means a door that would otherwise be used to open to the outside, such as a PVC door or a double glazed door), then it is not considered in the calculation for the rating. The assessor will, however, confirm the presence of the conservatory as part of the EPC survey.

How Integrated Conservatories Affect Your EPC Rating

The only time that the conservatory is really going to make a difference to the Energy Performance rating is where there is no separation between the conservatory and main dwelling. In this case, the assessor will actually measure up the area of the conservatory and work out the length of its exposed perimeter. The assessor will also tick a box in the software to confirm whether the conservatory is double or single glazed. The actual difference this makes to the final Energy Performance Certificate rating is fairly small, and will likely change the final rating figure by just 3 to 4 points.  Of course, if you have a very large conservatory in comparison to the rest of the dwelling, then it may factor in a little more.

When the assessor looks at the conservatory of your property he will take photographic evidence that shows the glazing of the conservatory and a radiator in it (if there any). No paperwork from the manufacturer will be required during the EPC survey.

Should you upgrade your conservatory for your EPC rating?

For the vast majority of people with conservatories, the answer will be no. If the conservatory is integrated as above and has single glazing, and you need you a point or two to get to a higher rating band, and there are no other obvious cheaper wins to get your rating up, then you might want to ask your assessor to see if some double glazing might be worthwhile for your conservatory. In most cases, however, this will not be needed. To assess the impact of the conservatory in the energy performance of your house, you can request an energy assessment without a lodgement of the EPC in the EPC Register. This means that the assessor will do the calculations and will provide an estimate of the impact of the conservatory in the overall rating. However, the actual certificate will not be public.

To organise an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) survey at your property contact epc4less online.